The Voice of the Soul
by Eden Alice Poe
Summary: "Music should be the voice of the soul"- Mr. Grasshopper, James & the Giant Peach (film, 1996) Music-inspired one-shots that will contain an interesting & wide variety of genres (hopefully). You never know, you might find one that speaks to you :) Most recent one-shot: 'Welcome to the Black Parade' by My Chemical Romance
1. Father of Mine

Raven sat there on the roof, not meditating as she often did, but merely sitting, watching the sunrise over Jump City. Thinking.

"Hey, Raven, up early again?" Robin asked. "There isn't a second apocalypse we should know about, is there?" he joked.

Raven turned to him and smiled, patting the space next to her, inviting him to sit. "No, just thinking about today."

It wouldn't take a detective to deduce what she was trying to get at. "Father's Day. Yeah, me and Batman had a little falling out again a few weeks back. I'm gonna try to make it up to him today."

Raven closed her eyes, enjoying the heat that started warming the rooftop. "Hmm. What about the others? They have plans?"

"Yeah. Starfire left early to visit Galfore, the guy pretty much was her dad for most of her childhood. Cyborg said he was going to spend the day at S.T.A.R. Labs, you know his dad helped him build the Tower and he's hoping between the two of them, they'll be able to get some upgrading done."

"And Beast Boy?" "Believe it or not, he's actually been the most mysterious about his plans." Raven peeked an eye open, giving him a sidelong glance. "Said something vague about meeting up with the Doom Patrol again, then... nothing." Robin decided to turn the tables. "What about you Raven? I mean, he tried to take over the Earth and you pretty much banished him from coming within the next five realms of this universe, but he is your dad..." She closed her eyes again.

"You're forgetting that he's been nothing but manipulative all my life, he's psychologically abused me, and that he's a demon who lacks any form of compassion or love or understanding. You can't exactly slap that on a Hallmark card with a gift card to Mega Meaty Meat."

"Touché."

They sat in companionable silence for awhile, enjoying the way the sun painted Jump as the city began to wake up. Slowly, the sounds of the city reached the Tower. Raven let her legs dangle over the ledge she was resting on, completely unafraid of the free fall she might take if given the right push.

"It's just..." she sighed, "It's not like he wasn't there all the time. Actually, it might've been better for me if he hadn't been there at all."

It was here that Raven turned very introspective as she thought about her past with her father. A past that she never completely shared with the other Titans.

It was little things, little conversations when he knew the monks wouldn't be listening in. He made it seem as if he genuinely care about me. As if he really wanted to know about me as his daughter, about what I was learning or going through. And for the longest time, Azar allowed it. She only tried to intervene a few times, and then... he got angry. With her, with me. He lashed out a lot. Again, mostly on my psyche, and that may not seem so bad, I don't have any physical testament to the abuse I endured, but just because you don't have an physical reminder... it doesn't mean that you don't have any scars.

Around the time I turned ten, Azar had passed away and my mother took the reigns on my studies, on raising me. It was kind of too late to really get to know her as my mother, but we tried. Around that time, he disappeared. He got everything he needed from me by that point, though I was never sure what it was. Maybe it was that he had instilled enough doubt in me, or made sure that I thought I'd loved him at some point so he could manipulate that.

Either way, he became less and less a part of my life, he didn't care so much about what I was doing, the choices I was making. He was too busy preparing for his ascent to Earth, he thought my cooperation was nearly assured with so many of his little 'visits' plaguing my mind on a regular basis.

"In the end, though," Raven finally started speaking again after a few minutes of thinking, "it was a moot point. I stopped him, I disowned him. End of story, a happy finale for us all."

"Then we launched right into that all-out war with the Brotherhood of Evil," Robin chuckled, remembering how quickly they had traded one disaster for another.

"But a lot of good came out of it. We got new teammates, new friends across the world. I would've never met the Toddler Trio if you hadn't sent me on that mission in the Alps."

"Yeah, you really appreciated that..." Robin grumbled, remembering all the ranting and raving she had done after the mission was completed. She really let him have it, and in some respects, he deserved the scolding. "Hell hath no fury..." he found himself mumbling.

"That doesn't directly apply here, but the saying is still fairly apt, I suppose," Raven mused. She turned to face Robin, her tone turning much more serious. "Those kids really deserved someone better than me, though. I was barely getting used to the idea that I was free to feel around you guys. I'm not anywhere close to a role model or a motherly figure for those kids. Sure, I took care of them, I kept them safe, but I was hardly the ideal babysitter-"

"I said it before, and I'll say it again, Raven," Robin interrupted. "You were the only one I could trust for the job, and those kids loved you, just like we learned to love you. If anything, they're quick learners."

"I just..." Raven turned away and faced the city once more. "I never liked the idea of kids, having kids myself, I mean. Especially when you look at how my childhood was, how I turned out. No one wants to repeat the mistakes their parents make, you know? And it's not like that was what kept me from wanting to take care of Melvin and them, but it's played on my mind a lot since then. Mostly since they keep asking to visit. I don't want to be a poor influence on their lives."

"Trust me, Raven," Robin reassured her as he stood up, "Kids need heroes in their lives, not always just super ones, but ones they can count on to be there for them. Over and over again, you've more than proven that you're that hero, Rae."

As Robin made his way to the stairwell leading back into the Tower, he heard Raven call out, "Tell Bruce I said 'Happy Father's Day', okay?"

...

Notes: & a happy fathers day to you too! I feel this really shouldn't be dedicated to my own dad, as I actually have a great relationship with him (unlike Raven). Also, the song that inspired this ('Father of Mine' by Everclear) isn't exactly one of those "hey dad, I love you so much, I'ma writing a song for you" types that would make one feel all warm & fuzzy. But it's still an awesome song.  
So this is the first in a series of writing challenges for myself. Whenever I'm in the mood, I'll set my ipod on shuffle & challenge myself to write a song either inspired by the music or lyrics or the story it tells directly. Basically a series of one-shot songfics (sans lyrics, how they should be written) that may/may not be related to each other. I may do one a week, or three in one day. idk, it's just a little exercise for myself. (plus my beta still hasn't sent me back the 4th chap for BtSaIB... so... yeah...)  
*That's actually a big part of why this fic has the name it has. It's taken from Mr. Grasshopper's line from the movie version of 'James & the Giant Peach'- "Music should be the voice of the soul." Yes, I'm in love with Tim Burton/Henry Selick productions, you can sue me.  
Tell me if you like this, if you don't, how I might improve, etc. Feedback is always appreciated much more than a follow or a fav.


	2. Motorcycle Drive By

Summer time. It finally arrived in the city, even one as desolate as Gotham. The birds outside picked up a cheery enough tune. Though the wind blew oh-so-gently, it was the only break in their song.

That was the perk of visiting this area of New York. You were close enough to the action in Gotham without actually having to visit Gotham.

New York definitely had more perks, but Gotham needed the hero. The big apple never got as big of a bite taken out of it, at any rate.

But Robin was supposed to be with the Titans now. He was supposed to be protecting Jump City, not traveling across the country to come to the aid of his mentor or his girlfriend.

But for now, Robin didn't think about that. He was having enough trouble trying to get up off the couch from his nap. Having the sun streaming into his eyes gave him more incentive than his knowing that he might be needed in a few minutes.

He was tiring of the commute he had to take every few weeks to stay in touch with his girlfriend.

After all, gas was hardly cheap, and taking that drive from California across the country to the east coast… It was insane.

But Barbara was the one... right?

The more Robin thought about it, the less sure he felt. After all, she had taken Bruce's side so many times in the months leading up to his resignation as the Dark Knight's sidekick. And thinking about it now, just as he was waking up from his nap, Robin suddenly knew the truth.

He and Babs weren't going to work out. It wasn't because of her though, it was him.

And as cliché as it sounded, it was true. He was putting a strain on their relationship by trying to fit it with his new lifestyle with the Titans. And though Babs probably hadn't changed much at all within the year, he had.

All he'd been through, his dealings with Slade, trying to keep the team together. It was stressful, and he couldn't keep sneaking away to visit Gotham if he was going to keep the peace in Jump.

He was going to have to figure out a good way to break it to her, and it had to be respectful.

Robin felt a little bit of his heart break. The feelings he had for Babs weren't fading fast, but rather lingered, burning him up. The only way to quiet that, he felt, was to try and replace one burning for another.

As he got up and got ready for his drive by Brooklyn into Lower Gotham, he weighed his options.

...

"I'm so sorry, Dick," Babs said.

"No, it's fine... I kinda figured I was pretty stupid for letting this go on as long as it did," Robin said, placing his helmet back on his head.

"Still best buds, though.. right?" Barbara got that worried look on her face again.

"Yeah, look, I gotta head back to Jump." He revved the engine and speed off. Never once looking back. And as much as he wished he could feel the warmth of her riding with him, he felt content.

On the road, his thoughts began to clear. He never felt this level of clarity before. And as it came to him, he thought of some things.

Of a girl. A girl that he could ride with and never have to worry about keeping up their relationship. She might be able to read him with a few looks or gestures. She'd never hesitate to help him clear his head with a motorcycle drive. Cigarettes and bugs could be flying all around them, but she would simply close her eyes, taking in the breeze as they would go careening along the highways.

A small, melancholy smile. A near whisper. "You know the world doesn't fit with me."

But he'd refuse to believe that. She was perfect, after all. This special girl.

They'd reach a hard turn in the road, one that would almost send them into a spin, a crash. But she'd laugh it off, as he would just as quickly right their ride.

Robin would hope that she'd be able to bring him up out of his despondency and into her own world of euphoria.

Then his vision of this new girl was shattered as an eighteen-wheeler blared past him, a reminder of the dangerous conditions of the road.

But as the road began to clear again, his thoughts turned back to Barbara.

He had some plans for them, at some point. He wanted to make things more official between them. Always ready to be the romantic, to take things to the next level. But Babs always held back. She believed in taking things slowly.

Barbara had been holding them back. He wanted them to be something more than just friends, than just boyfriend and girlfriend. But she was finally the one to say it was over. And letting her be the one to break them up.. it was probably the best decision that he had made for their relationship all this time.

He was missing her, of course. Even now, as he slowed his speed along the highway, he felt the loneliness creeping in.

But there was a sense of freedom as well. He felt the weight of his past in Gotham lift away and leave him.

At that moment, as the weight lifted and as he finally began to see clearly, Robin smiled and revved the engine one last time, finally taking his R-cylce full throttle down the highway.

That sense of euphoria was back. The simplicity of having the road stretching in front of him, the high speed of the landscape passing him, the road speeding underneath him. It was that magical place that couldn't be found by staying in one place for too long.

And as he picked up speed, his thoughts drifted back to that girl, the one that would be perfect for him.

He felt his feelings for Barbara fade, the pain of the break-up was getting easier to deal with, and he revved the engine again as he pushed the bike faster once more.

He wanted to know where he could find this perfect girl. What made Barbara so special to him in the first place, and how could he find that in another girl? Was it even possible to find a girl like that outside the NYC area?

Either way, there was no way he was going back to the East Coast. Not as Robin, at any rate. And not until he felt Jump was secure enough to stand on it's own without the Titans, or at least without him.

Even as Dick Grayson, he felt he was putting on a front. He had to be the billionaire Bruce Wayne's perfect ward. Always showing a smile for the cameras. But it was so obvious the pain he's been feeling every time he needed to leave the team- even only for a little while- so he could keep up his secret identity's life.

That's another reason why he had to break it off with Babs. She could tell he was feeling strained from it all, no matter how much he tried to deny it. And even though she clearly said that they could still be friends, Robin knew it would take time for them to build up that trust again.

He was mostly over her now, anyways. She probably barely recognized him this time around. And there was no telling how much more he might change.

And there it was again. That pain of losing her, of knowing what he lost. But Robin refused to focus on it.

Sure, he was alone now. But that special girl was waiting for him, right?

Even though he had pushed the R-cycle to it's limits, he revved it one last time, picked up a bit more speed, and blasted his way down the rest of the highway.

He stopped thinking for awhile as he focused on making his way home.

...

And when he finally made it to Jump City, it was raining.

It wasn't a big surprise, but Robin took a detour. Instead of heading directly to the Tower after arriving on Titan Isle, he brought out a surfboard some careless Titan had left at the beach. He gratefully set out on the water, waiting for some gently rolling waves.

He wasn't ever going to think about her again, about that city, about any of it.

As the waves slowly started increasing in size and frequency, Robin became more relaxed. He enjoyed the salt on his skin, the setting sun glinting off the water and into his masked eyes.

A big swell comes in when he's not paying attention and takes him further out to sea.

"Robin? What are you doing out here? When did you get home?" A pleasantly surprised voice asks him.

Robin smiles, about to answer the question when another wave nearly knocks him off his board. This helps make him forget his trouble, helps make him feel a so much more... so alive.

...

Notes: Inspired by Third Eye Blind's 'Motorcycle Drive By'. Great song, I could listen to it 24/7 & it'd never get old. I had finished this little bit awhile back & it's different from that first chap in many respects, but... It flows a lot more with the actual song than the first one did.  
As far as the voice/the girl Robin imagined.. I've always preferred RobRae, but if you're into say... RobKole (?!), then go ahead & substitute. I tried to keep it vague for a reason.  
As always, feedback is appreciated. The little review box is waiting for ya down there... ya know you want to tell me what ya thought! :D Otherwise, happy reading!


	3. Banditos

It was one of their first dates together, after she had left the HIVE Five, after she had set him free and helped him escape from Madame Rouge.

But she wasn't quite all there. She was missing her life as a criminal; it was all she had ever really known and it had been taken from her.

So she wanted to suggest something to him, something that she wanted to be taken very seriously.

"So, just how far down do you wanna go? We can talk it out over a cup of joe..." Kid smirked in his civvies. He hated ditching the flash logo, so he opted for a t-shirt with the tell-tale lightning bolt and some jean-shorts. His hair was permanently wind-swept, and he had that same sparkle in his eyes as he did from the moment she had first met him.

Jinx could stare into those eyes for hours on end. To her, whether in uniform or in his civilian clothes, he was more than just her superhero, he was like her supermodel. One that she had all to herself.

"Uh-huh," Jinx said noncommittally, then corrected herself, "I mean, yeah. Coffee sounds perfect, actually."

She had let her hair down for the little break, she knew people would just assume she was one of those crazy teens who dyed their hair with outlandish colors like some real-life anime character. She had on a t-shirt for a favorite band of hers (which she had stolen from a Hot Topic a few months before), and a skirt that matched up well enough with it.

Sitting outside the café waiting for their drinks, they certainly looked like an odd couple. Not that they cared what other people thought of them.

"It's probably gonna be just you and me, babe," Kid Flash suddenly said. "Only for a little while now. The Titans won't trust you at first, the HIVE's probably not gonna have you back. It'll probably be for the best that we keep this all under wraps for awhile. There's no one else we can trust. We'll say nothin' to no one, no how, or we'll be busted. We can't say anything about our little scheme to elope," he chuckled, toying with her as he often did.

"So never crack a smile or flinch or cry for nobody?" she joked right alongside him, he answered with a near obligatory, "Uh-uh."

The waiter came by a few times, but didn't bother to stop by their table for long. He merely set some water down along with some saltines. They would simply have to wait a little while longer for their drinks.

"I want to pull off one last heist," Jinx suddenly whispered. Kid pulled a spit take right onto a passing waiter and apologized before turning back to his date.

"Um, excuse me?" he asked, "I- well, I kinda assumed that the whole... er, 'going good' thing was going good. It really might help the Titans accept you if you, well... didn't do anything criminal from now on? I thought we went over this!"

Jinx sighed, she knew he wouldn't understand. "Look, just one last little hit and run, one last little escape to Mexico. You'll give a fake ID to the guard, he won't know the difference. We'll set up a meeting point, divide up the loot. Badda-bing, badda-boom. Over and done with. I'll never rob another place again," she promised.

"Yeah, okay? And when the cops are on our tails? What, you want me to put sugar in the sheriff's tanks? Slash a deputy's cruiser's tires?"

Jinx got a gleam in her eye. "Please, with your speed, by the time they get the word, they won't be able to get very far. We'd be long gone before anyone would even realize anything had happened!"

"Yeah, that's all I need," Kid grumbled holding up his hands as if seeing a headline, "'Kid Flash Makes Quick Turnaround - Huge Holdup in Central City'."

"There ya go," Jinx playfully nudged him. "You can even pick your new alias. See-more never wanted to use 'Jean-Luc Picard', but I always thought it would be fun. You could be a member of 'The United Federation of Planets'," she laughed, "It's not like the border guard'll speak english anyways."

"Yeah, okay," Kid smiled. He was happy that they'd found yet another love, other than for unicorns, in Star Trek. "So... we'd have to have a meet-up point.. Maybe the ol' mission at midnight? We could divvy up the cash there."

"Yeah, that could work-" "Your drinks? Sorry for the wait, this place usually isn't so busy," the waiter apologized while interrupting their scheming. "It's no trouble," Kid said.

As the waiter left them to serve another table, Jinx leaned across to face him rather seriously. "Just remember, I get the pistol, I keep the pesos."

Kid Flash nodded in understanding. "Well that seems fair."

They sat a moment longer in silence, watching the waiter mill about some more, rushing to bring people their refreshments.

"Why are you acting like you're going to help me anyways?" Jinx asked. She knew that Kid wasn't going to follow through with their plans. It was all a joke to him, a game that he indulged her with. But she wanted to know why.

"Jinx, everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people, right?" She nods in agreement. "So why take advantage of them? Sure, some of them deserve the short end of the stick, but that doesn't exactly make doing terrible things like this, well, right. And even if we sort of went through with it..." He smiled, closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his head. Completely at ease with the world and with himself.

"Well, I'd just have to stop us."

Jinx stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"You're lucky you're cute, otherwise I'd be tempted to pull a holdup without you." And it was back to the game.

She knew it was an empty promise. She'd 'gone good', whatever that was supposed to mean, and with Kid there to keep her 'going on the straight and narrow', she figured it wouldn't be so bad.

...

Notes: 'Banditos'- The Refreshments (no, I'm not making that up, it's a legit, kickass band. So is The Presidents of the United States of America, I might do a song-fic for their song 'Kitty'... only cuz my dad feels the need to play it over & over again these past few days ;_; I hope it stops soon.)  
With this one... most of the dialogue is in some form or fashion, the lyrics. The song flows kinda like a one-sided conversation anyways, so.. it sorta came to me like this. I was hoping to do something 'Flinxy' in celebration of Jinx's return tonight.(less than 30 mins from now, as of this writing) She'll play a role in TTG & even though it's totally non-canon & really over-the-top (crazy? insane? idk what to think about it after 'Gorilla'), it still has enough moments to keep me coming back to it.  
As always, feedback is appreciated. Hope ya'll enjoyed this & happy reading! :D


	4. Blood and Roses

Warning- Hints of character death/general... let's just say this isn't a happy fic, it went to a rather depressing place very quickly. The song really isn't that bad by itself, I'd encourage you to look it up. It's just what it inspired... well, it wasn't as pretty as I was hoping...

...

TITANS TOWER- 0535 HOURS

The rain. It was finally falling. Not pounding the rooftop as per usual, but giving it a light soaking. Giving it's only visitor on this lonely morning a reason to head back inside.

But she refused, insisting on being stubborn and standing there as she was completely soaked from head to toe.

I thought of calling out to her in some way. To convince her to come back inside, with the team, with the warmth. It seemed the right thing to do. After all, nearly every Titan had been called on to visit, many had to stay overnight to insure that no one would be ambushed by an enemy wishing to take advantage of their weary state.

I thought about all this, but my thoughts were silenced as I heard her whisper.

"I want to love, but it comes out wrong."

'What do you mean?' I wonder. 'The love you show your team is enough, isn't it? The platonic love you share for your fellow Titans? Or do you mean some other love? Someone on this team has rejected you, have they? You are unable to find love with another?'

"I want to live, but I don't belong."

'Oh?,' I wonder once more. 'But you do belong. On this team. Here. With me. With us. That's why you're a hero. That's why you fight. Why you live.'

Then I felt it. A vision coming on. It wasn't very common, but it had been happening a lot for many of the Honorary Titans over the course of the night. So many spell casters in one space, it made those who weren't so magically inclined... suffer the side effects.

I closed my eyes and I saw blood... and roses.

A vase full of roses. Surrounded by other images, other moving visions that flowed in and out of range like bad reception.

Then.. more flowers. It's springtime. That vision fades and a new one replaces it. A wedding in.. October is it? Yes, a beautiful fall-time wedding. But then it fades once more. My blood begins to run cold. The roses in the vase slowly begin to wither. A winter wonderland sets in as a permanent backdrop. And I see her, the figure on the roof as she is now. She's still standing in the rain.

Only now, she more directly faces me.

I'm out in the open, not hidden away in the doorway. A lot nearer to her, but she's very distant.

She repeats those words from not so long ago. Tears form in her eyes. She shifts ever so closely to the edge of the rooftop.

I'm only so confident that she'd save herself. That some power would be at work, ready to swoop in and catch her fall, were she to take that leap.

"I need your love, but it comes out wrong," I wish to correct her. Then correct myself. I'm unsure as to how to tell this beauty of my love for her, of how much she is loved by all of us.

Love.

That foreign emotion that no one at our age seems to have a direct handle or vague conception of. And here in this vision-future, it continued to elude us.

"I try to live, but I don't belong."

Yes, you did try. I sense that much in this future. She tried to have a life. Perhaps beyond what the Titans offered, or perhaps while trying to move past a pain from her past.

Either way, she obviously didn't find that niche she was looking for.

I blink tears away as she shifts ever more closely to the edge of the roof and the vision fades once more.

We're gathered around the base of the Tower. It doesn't take much to guess what we're all seeing there.

Blood and a rose.

The vision fades completely now.

It's the present once more.

But she's still standing there in the rain.

I make my decision then and there, and slowly walk up to her, not caring that I might be soaked as well.

...

Notes: 'Blood and Roses' - The Smithereens. (From Romy & Michele's High School Reunion- my parents loved that CD & loved really old songs when I was growing up. Warning for the future, you'll see some 80's pop... like, a lot of 80's pop & 90's alternative rock. Probably should've warned y'all sooner... oops) Like 'Banditos', this was a more of a conversation piece, but I wanted to break down the 'spoken' lyrics, further interpret what the 'singer' might be feeling. It's a very narrative song, so I wanted to try to take it a step deeper.  
You may interpret as you wish. I know what general idea I'm taking from this.  
I had JeRae (Jericho/Raven) in mind while writing this (for whatever reason). But I hope that it was vague enough that you can substitute some other couple (preferably one that would still make sense within the context, i.e. you probably want a girl that's able to fly/have the power to save themselves/have the guy/girl[idk if you're into that, but to each their own] have the power to possibly save them).  
As always, love love love feedback. I'd love to know what you might've thought or who you imagined for the mystery roles.


	5. Sins of My Youth

Nightwing looked out over the city before he took his first daring leap of the night.

It had been fairly quite in Blüdhaven, not action-packed like he remembered Jump City to be... at least not where super-villains were concerned. No, this town had been filled with mob bosses and common crooks rather than the usual superpowered freaks that continued to run amok in cities nationwide.

Nightwing missed those days, being Robin. His time with Batman and the Teen Titans was fading to the background, a distant memory.

He remembered all the trouble he'd gotten into when he was younger, the fun he'd had running around the town, always on top the world even if the mission wasn't going as planned.

Even now, he could't help but fall on old habits and keep constant alert, even if there was a definite lull in criminal activity.

Just before he was sure to hit the ground, he grabbed onto a near by flagpole sticking off the side of a skyscraper and made a quick swing for a less dangerous drop onto a nearby rooftop.

"So the Boy Wonder still has it in him?" a familiar voice asked, sounding very bored. "You're going to get yourself killed one of these days if you keep up those dangerous stunts."

Nightwing smirked, "Can't help it, Rae, old habits die hard." He stretched a bit, trying to keep his blood flowing. "What are you doing in Blüdhaven, anyways? Business or pleasure?"

Raven blushed slightly, "Confidential. Besides, I needed to check up on some old friends."

There it was again, she was trying to keep him in the friend-zone. Even after they had been through so much, after they had exhausted every possible relationship other than the controversial one that they would've started- if they had still been Titans, that is. "Rae, you know we can change-"

"But can you change? Answer me that, Dick. Can you break those stupid habits of yours and try to have more of life?"

He knew exactly what she meant. After the big Titan break-up, a lot of them had tried for more normal lives, less superhero stuff.

Nightwing thought it over.

He wasn't going to give up superheroing. It just wasn't possible. He'd been doing it all his life, and it had gotten him into too much trouble as Dick Grayson. Even when Bruce tried to help out his civilian self get that education and normal life he should have been leading all along, it didn't matter. He'd been in too deep for too long.

"You know I had too much fun," Nightwing finally answered, "It's all I really know. But would you love me, still? I'm too torn between it all, Rae, you know that."

Raven sighed. It was the first time he'd noticed that she was in her newer outfit, that same white cloak he'd seen her in only a few times as a Teen Titan.

Now that the core Titans had disbanded and some newer ones had taken over protection of Jump City, they had all lost touch with each other.

Nightwing couldn't remember the last time the whole team had stopped a bad guy together, but he was happy to see that Raven was still keeping up the fight between good and evil, even if she wasn't as serious about it as he was. Or so it seemed.

"Dick... Richard. Look-" Suddenly, there came a beeping from their belts. They had picked up a police transmission about a bank heist.

"For old times sake?" he asked her, not quite begging and very fearful that the answer would be a flat-out 'no'.

"You really can't break those habits, can you?" Those beautiful purple orbs bored into his soul, as if searching for something. "Let's go."

He smiled as he took another leap into action. At least some parts of the future could be for certain, like how their current mission would turn out. And even if he didn't get an answer from her right away, Nightwing had a feeling he'd see more of Raven in Blüdhaven very soon.

...

Notes: 'Sins of My Youth' - Neon Trees. More so inspired by the music & chorus rather than the whole song, so the story has less to do with it. But I listened to it on repeat the whole time, more as background noise, but it still played... Definitely recommend the band for people who like some pop-alternative-rock. They've had two really popular songs so far, which I don't care too much for, but their 'Habits' CD is mostly pretty good. I'm still trying to get money to buy some of their other CDs. ^^; Wish writing would pay but, eh *shrug*  
I wanted this to be strictly RobRae. More so about Rob, but the song talks about love a bit so... there had to be some interest right?  
As always, tell me what you thought.


	6. Straight to Hell

Not 'lotta folks ev'r ask 'bout ol' Billy. Naw, sure as sugar maple, not 'lotta folks ev'r cared 'bout Billy.

'Cept Billy's Ma.

Yeah, my Ma was prolly one o' da best women that ev'r hit ol' Miss.

Sure, we nev'r lived in one o' those fancy-pants homes. Shoot, I grew up just west o' the same tracks I was born near.

We nev'r had much, but my Ma did ev'rything she could for me.

Not that I ev'r really cared much. Prolly shoulda shown I 'preciated her bit more...

But I rememb'r when it all started goin' downhill fast'r than a greased hog on roll'rskates.

Yeah, I rememb'r real clear-like. One time she said, "Son, won't you go outside? I got a man comin' over tonight."

It was the seventh one in seven days.

But I nev'r questioned it. I went down to the ol' parkin' lot. Hang around with some friends.

That was before all Billy ev'r needed was Billy 'round to cheer 'im up. When Bill- .. when I had some friends to roam the streets with.

Yeah, we stayed out long, 'bout all night even.

The clock read 'bout five o'clock, when I got home that mornin'.

An' she was right there, waitin' up for me. "Where have you been?" she asked me. An' that got me mad. Madder than the junkyard dogs we were terrorizin' earlier.

I rememb'r shoutin' at her, "I was _out_!" An' she just looked at me all sad an' lonely-like. She said, "You're no good 'cause you're runnin' without love."

That's when I first knew I was headin' fer trouble. If Ma knew 'nough to tell me that I was no good, then maybe my soul was on a slow track into the devil's paws like the reverend kept preachin' out to us youngin's ev'ry sunday.

Not that I cared 'nough back then.

The next time, I was hangin' 'round the town's laundromat. Some ol' war widow that liked to talk fancy, always dressin' in black like she was headin' someplace special each night, she was talkin' with an ol' ladies man, he was right-famous fer stirrin' up some trouble in the town. Ol' drama that had ev'ryone talkin' fer weeks on end.

They were tryin' to stir up some trouble 'bout Ma. Tryin' to get my goat.

Got 'lotta the neighbors in on it, too. Pretty big talk fer such a small town.

But I nev'r paid 'em no mind. No siree.

I rememb'r a helluva lot later, I met up with my next-door neighbor. A girl 'bout my age.

She had invited me upstairs... Here I'ma blushin' now, tryin' to retell this...

She was the first girl I ev'r got real close to, but next thing we knew, her ma had busted in her door, screamed like the devil was on her heels.

"You're the son of that bitch in the wind! Get outta my house and hit the road!"

I rememb'r fallin' more than a Rolling Stones song tryin' to get outta there right-quick.

Not ev'n few days later, I was really hittin' the road. Had fifty bucks an' a suitcase, all I thought I ev'r needed.

Oh, an' that girl too.

It was real late at night, almost mornin'. Stars had come out lot later than usual, an' that girl finally had taken my hand.

We started walkin' east, just as the sun started risin'.

Her folks had tried followin' us, beggin' her to come back. She had just yelled at 'em, "We'll make it alone, whether you like it or not!"

An' the momma's boy in me wanted to turn 'round an' shout fer her help, fer my ol' ma.

I didn't know it then, but I was headin' straight for hell after that.

The accident, the HIVE, all of it was nothin' compared to the heartache I'm sure I left Ma with. Ev'n if all I had ev'r wanted was fer her to let me go.

I sure miss all that I left behind sometimes, but with the HIVE an' Billy here with me, I'd say I'm still right-content.

...

Notes: Drivin' N' Cryin' - "Straight to Hell" (okay, I just love how that reads out. like, "oh, I've been driving and crying straight to hell, not that you cared" it's like a pun waiting to happen XD)  
Another very narrative song, one that tells a story all on it's own. Fairly slow-paced, but a classic for me. Dad loves to play it over & over whenever he gets a whim to.  
I carefully choose Billy Numerous. One reason being that I wanted to play with the southern accent (being a Texan myself, I'd like to think linguistically I did it justice. Any other southerner out there reading this care to disagree, go ahead) and the band is from Georgia so... yeah. But there's also that, well, not a lot of other villains fitted the bill for me. Sure, they could've had a back-story like this, heck, Billy's back-story might not be anything like this at all. But... this works for me :) It's not a permanent head-canon for me... but it might become so...  
As always, feedback is kindly 'preciated XD


	7. Turning Japanese

Though Robin hadn't said how long they'd stay in Japan, Beast Boy was sure to make the most of it, starting with a prolonged stay at Wakamono Shuppan. The exact same place where they had defeated Daizo and saved Tokyo.

This had led him into some trouble, though. As he had been commenting on his love for comics and the many stories the publishing house had printed, a fellow tourist had felt the overwhelming need to correct him.

"Manga, not comic book."

"What?" BB asked rather rudely.

"They make manga, not comic books or graphic novels or any other thing you Americans call them. It's Japanese, have some respect."

This made Beast Boy a little angry. "Dude, I just saved this city! I like their comic thingies! I just wanna have a little fun and check out some stuff here, 'kay? It doesn't matter what it's called, cause I've grown up calling them comics and that's what I'm gonna call them!"

The tourist got very huffy and turned away, pretending to be absorbed in the tour guide's presentation about the history of the publishing company.

This annoyed BB a little at first, he was expecting the tourist to put up a fight, to start arguing with him until it would break out into a real fist-fight. Of course, he wouldn't have been allowed to hurt the tourist, but BB would've loved to teach this kid a lesson.

"Whatever," he mumbled, trying to enjoy the rest of the tour.

...

At the end, as the tour guide brought his lecture to a close, BB noticed a shop that held many of the company's different stories it had produced over the years. The majority was in the native japanese, but after a few minutes of hunting, Beast Boy was able to find a lot of older ones that were published in english.

"Dude, I never want to leave this place!"

"Beast Boy, buy your manga and get going! We have to leave," Raven scolded him as she ducked her head into the shop.

BB paid the cashier and hurried to catch up to her. "What's the rush? Is Godzilla attacking?"

"Quite the contrary, I just wanted to get you out of that place before you stuck to the floor," she smirked, "Even with Star and Cyborg, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get you to leave."

"Wait, so there's no emergency?" BB asked, crestfallen.

"Nope. Just needed to lure you away to the hotel."

Beast Boy thought on that for a minute. There was no way that either Robin or Starfire would be back so soon from their day out, and Cyborg was sure to be hanging around some technology expo that Tokyo had in spades. Raven was the only one with any desire to leave Japan, as she didn't have much interest in learning more of the culture (which she had studied on many years ago) nor to quickly learn the difficult language so that she could enjoy some reading material. Joining BB on his trip to Wakamono Shuppan had been the closest thing she had to a distraction, which proved to be arduous even for something so simple.

It slowly dawned on Beast Boy that out of all the Titans, Raven was the only one who hadn't found something to really take away from this trip to Tokyo.

He wasn't one to let her leave so soon without a few tokens of their time in Japan, though.

"Raven! Say cheese!" He yelled snapping a quick photo of her on the street before she could blink. It was a good thing he had remembered to bring a camera with him on his trip to the manga publishing house.

"Beast Boy, I don't-" "C'mon Rae, you can't leave Tokyo without some reminders! Robin's finally letting us have a vacation, why can't you just have some fun with me?"

"Maybe because everyone around us is a total stranger and could turn on us without a moment's hesitation" Raven grumbled, "It isn't like America, and I don't like not knowing what to expect."

"Well, maybe if you'd relax, we can learn a thing or two about Japan," BB smiled. "Look! I think those are those boat thingies Star was talking about! Y'know, that go by those blooming cherry trees! Those always look really cool!"

Raven sighed, letting BB take her hand and lead her to the one of the boats. "You mean the cherry blossoms?" She stared at him while he tried to push the boat into the water and get some oars so they could navigate the water. 'He really is kinda clueless about this sort of thing, isn't he?' a yellow clad Raven asked her from deep within her conscious.

'Who cares? A nice little boat ride in Tokyo will be loads of fun!' a pink Raven squealed.

'Yeah, and maybe he'll get a clue if we wade out there long enough,' a purple Raven mused.

"Raven, you coming?" BB called.

She sighed again, "Fine, but you're paddling us out there and I expect you to get us back without needing to take a dip. I'm pretty sure no matter how grateful the people of Tokyo are, our hotel might kick us out if you leave a wet-dog smell in your room." She climbed aboard the vessel with much trepidation.

"Pff, whatever, these people love me," BB laughed as he rowed. "I might have to stay here-" "That would be a dream come true." "-Or follow you guys back. You won't be able to shake me that easily, Rae."

"Stop calling me Rae. We've been over this, Beast Boy."

"Yeah, but it's so catchy."

They floated in silence for awhile, cherry blossom petals fell as the wind stirred the trees, creating a beautiful whirlwind of pink around them.

"Yep, definitely could stay in Tokyo for awhile. It's too awesome to leave so soon."

"It definitely has some charm," Raven admitted. Beast Boy suddenly remembered his camera again and snapped some photos of Raven.

When she finally noticed, she turned to him, annoyed.

"Beast Boy, stop that!" "But we gotta have some mementoes!" "Well not of me!"

They began struggling in the boat, her trying to wrestle the camera from him, him playing keep-away.

"Rae, the boat's gonna tip over!"

"Whatever!" Raven threw her hands up in defeat and sat back on her side. "Don't expect those photos to keep long once we get back to Jump, though," she threatened.

Beast Boy gulped, "Hehe, one more reason to stay in Japan as long as possible, then."

...

Notes: 'Turning Japanese' - The Vapors. (Also from Romy & Michele's High School Reunion soundtrack) Um, very little story to the song that I could pick up on a few listens (it's sometimes hard to understand initially & I had no desire to look up the lyrics at first), so I just took the repeated line in it & wrote what was happening in my head ^^; Kinda almost turned into a sorta BBRae, which is so unlike me but, eh... I like how this came out. I mostly wrote it because I hated how BB kept referring to his books as comics. They're clearly manga, they could've taught kids something about a bit of japanese pop culture by making him call them that, but no. 'Comic book' is a more familiar term, so of course, BB has to refer to them as such -_- Only in America, people.  
Hope y'all check out the song, though, it's really cool & catchy (just like everything from the 80's, ugh XD).  
As always, tell me what you thought :)


	8. It'll be OK

Important Note: I highly suggest watching the My Little Pony abridged/parody series, Friendship is Witchcraft, before reading this next chapter (you can find it on YouTube... if Hasbro will keep being a bro about it. Otherwise look up sherclop-dot-com. If you can't stand MLP, or maybe just want to see a good parody, you will not regret looking this series up). If not, then at least listen to the song 'It'll be OK' from that series (preferably with the animation running alongside it). It's demented & hilarious, and well... I'll explain the connection to this & Titans later... Just keep in mind, this is an AU.

...

Rachel Roth had a lonely childhood growing up. Sure, her father provided everything they'd need, but he was distant at best, and behind closed doors he treated his wife horribly. This was seen more clearly by Rachel, though she didn't completely understand it in her youth.

She remembered lovingly calling her mother Arella, mostly because she couldn't pronounce her real name, Angela, at such a young age. And though they had been fairly close, Arella had grown distant as well with the abuse, most of which she suffered so that Rachel need not be the brunt of his attacks.

To the rest of the world, though, he was Terrance Roth, the respectful proprietor of Roth Industries, and close associate and partner to Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises.

This partnership, though, was a front as well, which only helped to further Roth's own socioeconomic gains.

With these living conditions in mind, it came as a surprise to the Roth family, when one day, inexplicably, a young boy not much older than Rachel had been deposited on their doorstep.

Rachel still remembers that day clearly. It was fairly rainy outside, a light drizzle had fallen on their street. And when she had opened the door to get the mail and maybe chat with some kids passing on their bikes, she had found this strange boy sitting there on the steps.

Rachel had always wanted a brother, a sibling to look out for her and for her, in turn, to look out for. And here he was, this black haired, blue-eyed angel. She didn't question how he ended up there, but instead warmly invited him in. This was what she had wanted her whole life, right?

For whatever reason, the rest of the Roth family didn't much question this either. They learned that this boy's name was Richard Grayson, that he had some falling out with his past surrogate father and that he had run away, finding that this family had once had a falling out with his own surrogate family. None other than the Waynes that Terrance had dealt with so many times over.

But the fate of their children, no matter how much they distanced themselves or pretended to care, would not be influenced by the mistakes of each child's forefathers.

No, Rachel and Richard became fast friends, and very close siblings.

...

"Hey Rae-Rae! Come over here!" Dick called. The siblings were out at the park, celebrating his ninth birthday.

Arella was keeping her eyes on the two, but not very closely. She was still preoccupied by how things had escalated between Wayne and Roth yet again.

"What, Rich?" Rachel asked as she made her way over from hanging on the monkey bars. At only eight years, she was not well adapted to the playground, but she loved those bars. She felt like she was flying whenever she started swinging.

"Check this out!" Dick began running, he was always really fast. Soon Rachel noticed the string he held with him, the odd and very colorful thing that trailed behind him.

"Hey! Where'd you get the kite!" She called as it lifted off the ground and into the air, finally recognizing the toy.

"Internet!" Dick joked back. It seemed like he was miles away now, letting that kite chase after him as it ascended into the air. "Come on, Rae! Get over here!"

Rachel dashed over to him as fast as she could, even though he kept running around in circles, trying to get the kite higher into the air.

When she finally caught up with him, he handed the string and handle over to her. "Here! You gotta learn how to fly! You're not a kid until you've flown a kite!"

Rachel wrestled with the string, trying to maintain control of the toy as it fought for control in the air. A gust nearly took it away, Rachel with it, but Dick grabbed her by the waist before she was completely in the air.

"Don't fight it, try dancing with it," he quietly suggested.

"Dancing?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah, dancing."

She didn't absolutely understand, until Dick pointed out a family also flying kites. The kids were gently pulling the strings this way and that, keeping them aloft, but also making them turn gracefully in the wind.

"Dance, Rae. You can do it!" Dick quietly cheered her on.

And she did just that.

...

It was one of those nights again. One where Arella and Terrance were barely keeping their screaming at each other to a dull roar. And it was keeping Rachel up again.

She made her way very carefully down the hallway, hoping to sneak into Dick's room. He always knew the perfect thing to say to comfort her, even though she was twelve now and shouldn't be so easily frightened.

As the door creaked open, the light from down the hallway shone through, partly shining on his sleeping face. Rachel quickly dove into the room and shut the door behind her, not waking her brother in the process.

She stood there awhile, watching. His hair was getting in his face a little. His breathing had slowed down to a dramatic pace, but she was used to seeing him like this. It wasn't the first time she had watched him sleep.

There was something peaceful about when he slept. Like all that he had gone through, all that was clearly tearing their family apart... it couldn't affect him. Especially when he slept.

She stood there a few minutes longer, watching the way the sheets rose as he took in deeper and deeper breathes. Then, inexplicably, she climbed in with him.

He stirred tiredly, but upon seeing it was Rachel, nearly fell back asleep.

"Mom and Dad at it again?" She nods. "Don't worry, Rae. It'll be okay," a yawn interrupts his comforting, "Just gotta stick it out. Things'll get better." He gave her a hug before turning over in the bed and promptly falling asleep.

"Thanks Rich," she whispered into the dark.

...

"Are you sure you want to do this?" a now seventeen year old Rachel asked. Legally, Dick was an adult now. He was free to make his own decisions (or mistakes) how ever much he pleased, and in some respects, the Roth family was glad to see him leave. Not that they hadn't loved him as their own, but for many other various and... complicated reasons.

"Rae, this is all we've ever wanted," Dick explained, "This new group could be the thing that makes or breaks my career, and the guys are totally cool to be around."

Rachel gave him that look again, that same one that was full of anger and accusation.

He sighed, "Look, I know how much you'll miss me, and how much you want me to stay, but I can't. I have to do this. I have to sign that record label."

And with that, he walked right out of the kitchen, only the bare essentials with him in a knapsack on his back.

For the first time in years, Rachel cried.

She had lost her brother.

...

"C'mon Rach! We'll miss it!" Kori Anders called from down the hall. It was clear to Rachel that the only thing the girl loved more than the 'college experience', was the concerts that she managed to squirm her way into.

Then again, being best friends with the sister of a major pop icon helped things along.

Kori managed to drag not only Rachel but several of their friends into the car. Karen, Donna, even Toni, managed to cram their way into the tiny vehicle. And all were very eager for the night's newest escapade to be underway. The conversation ranged from the concert to toenail paintings to food to the latest gossip about the band.

And Rachel simply stared out the window, thinking on her plans that she had thrown herself into. Trying to earn a respectable business degree, slowly taking control of Dad's company, getting rid of those well trusted advisers. Very hard work for one so young, and even with all the friends she managed to make, Rachel still felt alone in her plans.

They all had their own agendas anyways, so it's not like their friendships were getting in her way. But they weren't exactly helpful when she needed them to be.

Lost in thought, Rachel was dragged into the concert, thousands of screaming girls -and a few of those really creepy men- surrounding her. She was still in a daze as the music began and the band made their appearance to a deafening roar.

Then she saw him. That beautiful, blue-eyed angel. The same disheveled black hair spiked up, those stupid black shades making him look all the more mysterious to the world.

He scanned the stage and the crowd, eyes never appearing to rest on a single face, but merely taking them all in at once. He gave a smile in Rachel's general direction and more girls let out screams of joy, a few coming from her friends right beside her.

Suddenly she barely made out Kori's shout to Donna, "I wish Richie was _my_ brother!" And this simple statement, one that should've been taken as praise, or as approval, made Rachel mad. More angry than she had felt in the past few months.

Ever since she'd started her college life, she'd lost contact with Rich. This concert was the first invitation she'd received since visiting the band at their penthouse in Los Angeles. Which, at the time, had been filled to the brim with party goers celebrating the release of their newest album.

Now, she made her way through the crowd, spitefully stepping on some shoes that weren't quick enough to dodge, bumping into targets with glow-sticks because they reminded her of the light Rich had brought into her life.

Soon, she found a security guard at his post on the outer rim of the stadium, near a door blatantly labeled 'Back Stage'. She showed him her pass, the one that was guaranteed to get her and four other friends inside. Being alone now, the guard was about to question her on this, but seeing the look in her eyes made him hesitate long enough for Rachel to barrel her way inside.

The first of many songs for the night was drawing to a close, and Rich was the first off the stage and in his dressing room, getting prepared for the next performance.

So I'm sure you can imagine the shock on his face as he saw Rachel there, tears forming in her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently and generally looking very pissed off and sad all in one.

"Rae-Rae! Long time no see! Look, sorry I gotta bail on ya so quick, but there's the concert and the fans and-" "I gave you my heart!" she suddenly yelled, her voice cracking with the tears.

"I gave you my heart and then you turned around..." she whispered, repeating herself. She turned away as Richard made his way closer to her, hoping to lend a comforting hand just as he always had.

"Rae, you know that-" "The law forbids it? But you know what, Rich?" She turned to face him, passion in her eyes, as blinded as they were by tears. "You know what I know? That this is kismet!"

She took a few hurried steps to give him a fierce hug, mumbling a plead, "Say 'I do' and seal our souls together. Rich, you know how much I've loved you. You know that. You know we can make this work. Just take it from me, I know you'll come around!"

"Voulez-vous? Our love will last forever? Is that what you're trying to say?" He pulled away from the hug, looked Rachel very seriously in the eyes and saw something there that made him hesitate again.

"Since we're not really related.. I- I thought," Rachel paused, sniffling a little, trying to compose herself, "It would be okay.. But it's so different now from what it seemed. Before all this mess, the world made sense with you by my side, Rich. And now... Now life has killed that dream I dreamed."

Rich stepped forward again, giving Rachel another hug.

"Hey now... It'll be okay, Rae."

...

Notes: RobStar & BBRae fans like to justify the meaninglessness & wrongness of RobRae by saying 'they're like siblings, it's gross, they're best friends, not in love'. And my answer to you who use this argument, is what you hopefully have read XD Now, they technically are/were siblings! But, "they're not biologically related, so it's not weird/creepy" (Quoted from FiW, watch 'Foaly Matripony' & it will all make perfect sense, I assure you.)  
I'd always been fairly interested in the whole 'siblings' argument. Because there's also those sayings, about how your brother/sister is your best friend. Or how you might find more happiness with your best friend rather than your boy/girl-friend. Using that logic, we'd all be marrying our siblings or our friends... but then again... that's what the friend-zone is for *ba dum cush*  
neh, I'm done justifying this pairing now.

Karen (Beecher, though last names were never stated)= BumbleBee  
Donna (Troy)= Wondergirl (Or as a writer said, "That mystery girl hero with the star earrings")  
Toni (Monetti)= Argent

Just, again. NONE of this will make sense unless you've seen Friendship is Witchcraft, but even if you have no intentions of watching it after reading this... *shrug* eh, it's not like I can take the time to find you & force you to watch it so... yeah...

Tell me if you thought this was creepy, if you've seen FiW & loved/hated it. Give me advice & criticism. It's all I really ask of you readers :)


	9. Burn

Shocked beyond all belief, Raven allowed herself to be led through the catacombs of Slade's latest hideout. It was a far cry from those cogs and gears that had been in the under-workings of Jump's warehouses, but it had it's own sense of refinement.

Once you got past the fact that you were sitting a few hundred feet underneath the earth's surface, constantly face-to-face with boiling lava.

Yep, the place was a perfect second home for a criminal mastermind and his newest lackey.

"C'mon, keep it moving!" Terra reprimanded as she gave her latest captive an unceremonious shove. She gave a general point and barked yet another order, "Slade's going to be delighted to see another pathetic Titan captured like this!"

Raven gave back a hard glare before finally yelling back, "You think this can hold me? You obviously didn't learn much, probably spent too much time hanging around Beast Brain!"

Terra gave back her own glare, but wisely choose to say nothing in response. Raven noticed as she tilted her head slightly, as if listening through an ear piece.

The blonde gave a small smile, but still remained silent.

"What?" Raven asked sarcastically, "Not going to let me in on the big secret?"

This merely earned her another shove.

As they again began their journey further into the labyrinth, Raven thought on her downfall.

It was such a simple fight, at first. The Titans had separated to capture either Overload, Plasmus, or Cinderblock. Raven, being the odd man out, had volunteered to face Overload alone. Only to find that it had been an ambush.

The tide of that little war had slowly escalated and turned in Terra's favor. Especially since Raven had been letting her temper get the better of her. And just when all seemed lost, that Terra was going to have her pick of the best poison to exterminate a fallen Titan... Something stopped her.

She could've easily let Raven drown in the mud, or decapitated her with one of those many spires the two had formed in their game of cat and mouse. At one point, she even had Raven in total shock with a literal blade hanging over her head.

Of course, all that training with Robin had kicked in and Raven did a simple tuck 'n' roll maneuver. The battle had been waged on without much of a hitch until the two girls had reached such a point of exhaustion that it was merely a matter of who still had some fight left in them.

Evidently, Terra proved to be the more resilient. At least for the time being.

Now though, as Raven was taken deeper underground, her strength had been returning to her. It was only a matter of time before her teammates would be ready to send in for a rescue, or for her to break free herself.

'But what would be the point of trying to capture me... and obviously Robin would just about lose his mind if I didn't come back to the Tower with _some_ form of intel...' Raven sighed as she was given another harsh shove & warning to keep her feet moving. 'Better to stick it out just a few more minutes. Maybe I can take the traitor down with me, if all else fails...'

She soon found herself in a room, not unlike the many ones before. The same sort of stain-glass windows that were really views of the volcano's core. There was a bit more tapestry strewn around the walls. More evidence of Slade's obsession with orange and black.

'Forget Jack Skellington, this guys takes the crown for King of Halloween,' Raven thought.

"Raven," Slade chuckled, "What a lovely surprise. I was half-expecting to see the Boy Wonder, but I suppose you'll have to do."

Raven gave the arch nemesis a glare. 'It's a mind game. He wants you to question him, he's looking for weakness.'

She felt a hard jab in her back before being forced to the ground, Terra whispering harshly in her ear, "When the master speaks, he expects an answer in return."

"I'd tell the both of you to go to hell, but it seems we're already half-way there," Raven spat, "And personally, I'd much more appreciate a lack of company, especially over yours."

Before Terra had a chance to give the girl a sound beating for talking so callously, Slade beat her to the punch by delivering a smooth backhand. One that Raven took without so much as a whimper.

"Consider that your warning, next time I won't be so generous," Slade growled. "Take her out of my sight." He waved the two off as he exited in the shadows.

"On your feet!" she ordered, wasting no time as she both forced the captured Titan to stand and led her out of the room.

'And you get exactly nothing out of that encounter, way to go Raven,' she reprimanded herself. 'Any other person would've played into his hand and gotten more than a sliver of info out of him, but no. You have to be the one with a smart mouth today.' If it weren't for the fact that she was already partially bound and needed all the strength she could conserve, Raven would've been kicking herself right then and there.

As it was though, she was in no position to start self harming, or even to begin thinking of ways to evade her captors.

'Worst case scenario... I can always take them down with me. It ought to be fun watching each other burn up in this little hole,' she thought acidly as she was led once more into the unknown.

...

Notes: 'Burn' by Three Days Grace- actually more so inspired by *chou-roninx's "Terra vs Raven 2" (which can be viewed on deviantART, I'll do my best to link it in my profile) Once I started listening to the song & looking at the pics this amazing person drew... well... let's just say when it adds fuel to the 10th anniversary fire... it's not a pretty picture for my sleep schedule tonight XD  
As you can see, this is a sorta AU-type setting... Just a little 'what-if' moment that we can all think on, maybe...?

As always, hope you guys help me improve (even if you don't have an account! sign in as a guest!) Thanks for reading! :D


	10. Monster

He had pushed her to the edge, yet again.

Not that it was any surprise, Beast Boy seemed very fond of pushing her buttons. And especially this early in the team's development, how would he have any clue about the disastrous effects her powers brought with her emotions?

It didn't matter at this point, she left the living room in a rush and none of the others had bothered to follow her, thank Azar.

But Raven still felt that little voice inside her growing. She felt it clawing at the metaphysical bonds in her psyche. And it was hungry, it had a need, it wanted to break free.

After battling against this side of herself for so long, one would think that dealing with it was a routine issue, something to be expected and handled accordingly.

But this particular feeling of anger was an unfamiliar one for Raven. Because this time, it had direction.

Before, Raven could take her general animosity towards whatever she felt had hurt her and direct it into a 'physical' confrontation within the safety of her mind. Whether it be a healthy debate amongst her warring emotions, or an all-out brawl. It was something that was easy, something that she could understand.

But now, with so many different thoughts flowing, so many different feelings to deal with as she got closer to her teammates... Those emotions were rattling a few cages that should have - probably could have- been left well enough alone.

She stumbled a little as she continued her brisk walk down the hall, making her way to the sanctuary of her room.

"Just gotta make it to the mirror," she reminded herself as she gripped her side.

The conflict that was boiling inside her mindscape was beginning to cause her physical pain. It felt as though any minute her insides would explode. She hadn't felt this much burning since she was a young child. When that home had been burned down...

She stumbled once more, barely able to phase herself through the wall to her room. It was no use trying for the door, her hands were too shaky to maneuver the keypad.

Once inside, she felt calmer, but only slightly.

That anger was still burning inside her right that second. And it still wanted to be free.

'C'mon Rae! Just one game! Stop reading your freaky books!' 'Playing with the team will be good for you, have some sense of normalcy.' 'Probably like those girls at my school, y'know.. the quiet ones.. the ones ya can't, for the life of you, figure out...' 'Indeed she seems to have the trouble.. communicating properly her battles.'

Those whispered words and harsh criticisms never fell on deaf ears. And now they only proved to add fuel to this fire that was growing inside her.

"I can't be normal, guys," Raven whispered harshly as yet again the pain grew. The fire was spreading out from the pits of her stomach and was making it's way through her body.

She stumbled again, landing partly on a desk with some CDs and a disk player. Her hand caught on the player and soon the speakers were blasting bass and angst into the room.

'Need to learn to get some new music,' she thought as the familiar words sunk into her mind for the millionth time.

For whatever reason, Earth's 'alternative rock' music usually branded enough emotions in them to help her forget her own troubles. It was actually very helpful letting another's feelings overshadow her own, since Raven had been unable to directly empathize with the issues these bands presented.

At this moment in time, however, she identified all too well with those feelings.

Regret, loneliness, anger, doubt.

It played on her mind, on her multicolored personas. And again that fire within burned evermore brightly, wanting to break free and wreak it's havoc on the Tower- No, on her teammates- NO! On the whole city!

And why shouldn't it? Why should her anger be denied such a simple request?

'Because it's wrong,' another side of her argued. 'Because you _do_ have the power, the strength to control it.' 'There's always hope, there's always a knight in shining armor waiting to rescue you.' 'Help is on the way... right?' 'It's gotta end soon.. it has to...'

Those other sides were growing weaker again. Anger was the most prevalent now, and she wasn't going to let Raven have control anytime soon.

'This is the part where everything burns,' Raven thought. And in some senses, she was right.

Her powers reached out to objects nearby; books, bed, candles, window, mirrors.

They were shattered, torn, thrown, and utterly demolished as she slowly lost her fight.

...

"Do I really have to do this?" Beast Boy whined again, which earned him a glare from the Boy Wonder.

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going!" There was a pause of silence as the duo made their way to Raven's room, just as they had seen her stalking off before.

"Shh, do you hear that?" Robin stopped him, cocking his head to the side to get a better listen.

"What? That emo-rock junk? Dude, I could hear that blaring ever since we left Ops! Rae doesn't seem like the type to play her music as loud as possible, though..."

"This might be a special circumstance," Robin glared at the floor. 'Of course, all our talk around her probably didn't help things. And making just Beast Boy apologize probably won't change anything either...'

"C'mon, we need to hurry," Robin commanded, unsure of his sudden need to get to Raven's room, but willing to follow it.

...

At this point, the pain was too much to bear. Raven had curled into a fetal position, all her focus on the warring state of her mindscape.

Well, more so the last line of defense her own emotions had set up against her anger. It wasn't much, but it kept that rage from leaking through the gateway to reality. And Raven was ever grateful that none of her other sides felt the temptation to sneak their way out... at least for the time being.

It was in this position, that our heroes found their teammate.

"Raven!" they both cried as they ran to the downed Titan.

"Raven, what happened, what's wrong?" Robin instantly started in with his barrage of questions. All of them merely earned him a small grunt. Even that was nearly too much for the empath, as it meant acknowledging the outside world.

And at this moment, all her attention needed to have laser sharp focus on her inner struggle.

"Dude, just answer us!" "Raven, who did this to you?" "What's wrong?" "Do we need to get you to the infirmary?"

She again ignored their pleas as her rage pulled her under and she began to lose all sense of consciousness.

...

Notes: Monster by Skillet - A stereotypically 'Raven' song, I suppose... but one that I wished to write down anyways. It's kinda like one of the earlier songs, just took it on repeat & let the scene play from there.  
Hope y'all liked it, at least! Happy 10th anniversary! (You all know very well what I mean, as of this writing, it's July 19th & if you don't know why it's a special day, consider your TT fangirl/boy status revoked!) XD

Help me improve in my writing with some (hopefully constructive) criticism!


	11. Animal I Have Become

"Dude, she still hasn't woken up... What are we-?"

"Just give her a little time," Robin shouted at his teammate, "If we really start to lose her, we'll have to take her into the infirmary and alert the others, but until then, it's better to not move her around too much." All the while, he had moved the unconscious form of Raven from her floor to her very messy bed. A short distance, but significant enough for Beast Boy to give his leader a glare.

"Fine, but what else can we-?" "Do?" Robin finished for him, "Wait. We just need to wait for her to wake up."

The changeling gave another glare as he sat down. 'Criss-cross applesauce,' he sang moodily in his mind. And there, he waited, just as Robin ordered.

...

"You shouldn't even bother. What's the point? It'll just start all over, again and again. She'll just keep breaking loose and you'll just keep putting her back. Why won't you give up?" a sad voice kept asking Raven.

"Because, it's the right thing to do," another one countered. "You know it's the right thing to do. Besides, maybe if we try something a little differently, we can keep her here for good. You never know when it'll be the 'last time' we have to deal with that particular emotion."

"Yeah! Let's go give her the ol' one-two! Put her back in her place and get outta here! That's all you gotta do! And you've done it a million times before!" yet another braver, and slightly less logical, voice butted in.

"Yeah, but not when she's like this. Her direction's all different... It's all wrong," that sad voice came back again. And this time she emerged from the shadows, revealing herself to be Raven's own gray-cloaked persona. She had obviously been crying not only in reaction from the events prior to what was transpiring now, but also from the words that needed to be exchanged here before Raven could come to her final decision. She feared that she might make a mistake, and that fear was starting to eat away at everything else.

The others began to take shape as well, either emerging from portals at different angles or physically manifesting on the floating rock itself.

Finally, the subject of their discussion decided to show her face, four angry red eyes and all.

"You know you can't help it," she sneered at Raven, "It's only a matter of time before it gets to be too much, and why should you deny me? That contemptuous brat deserves what's coming to him, and I'm the only one who can deliver exactly the type of punishment scum like him deserves."

"She's making a valid point," a yellow-clad persona added. "I know I was saying earlier that it's not right, but at the same time... she's making sense..."

"That's too easy! You can't just give up and let her talk you into giving into your anger, just so she can have some control over you!" a green Raven disagreed. "Don't give in! Not to anyone, and not to anything!"

"You'll feel better after it's all over," Pink chimed in.

And that was when the torrent began.

Each persona was talking over the other, trying to have her voice heard and her opinion shared.

"Stop."

It was like a torrent had taken over. A tidal wave of thought slowly eroding all reason within the band of emotions. The yelling was getting louder and louder. Each opinion eating away at the other. Soon, several of the Ravens were physically battling the others. Pandemonium. Chaos. The ground was slowly giving way until-

"Azarath."

They all stopped. Frozen in place by such a simple phrase. A phrase that carried so much meaning for them.

"Metrion."

They settled and began to disperse. Each persona going back to her place of origin, the domain she called home within the construct that made up Raven's mindscape.

And this was where Raven followed them, one at a time.

She let her Anger rant and rave, breaking some statues and trees. Declaring the unfairness and all that she'd been through within the past few hours.

She let her Sadness out. Crying and looking for comfort. A short sad monologue on how hopeless it all was and listing reasons why she should be the one apologizing for simply being part of the whole ordeal.

Her Happiness was nonplussed. And instead tried to focus on better thoughts, on better things to do once this whole 'feelings session' was over and done with.

Her Bravery was self-congratulatory. Mostly focusing on all the things she was doing right, remembering where valor can always be shown in the face of danger, no matter how minor it may appear.

Curiosity had been over thinking the whole ordeal, trying to justify new outcomes and new possibilities.

But the other personas had not a single bit of input, as their thoughts and feelings were never compatible with the situation.

And once Raven was able to sort the thoughts and apply them to the right emotions, she regained control of herself.

"Zinthos."

Yes, these feelings were contradictory. Yes, they could get confused, but they can't control her logical and rational thought.

They can't be allowed to rule how she should react to what happened.

This conclusion was one Raven was familiar with, but one that she needed to remind herself of.

And with this in mind, she finally bade her personas and mindscape farewell, and came to safely in her bed.

...

"Raven? Hey, you okay?" Robin asked, standing worriedly over her. He turned to Beast Boy with a grin, "I told you she'd be fine!"

"Hey, Ra-Raven.. Uh..." Beast Boy started rubbing his head, unsure of how to apologize. He needed Robin off his case, but he also needed it to be truthful. On several levels, he really felt bad for what happened but-

"Just, leave. Please."

"Don't need to tell me twice!" he said with a grin, making a one-eighty for the door.

Robin glared at the changeling's retreating form as he turned to face his teammate one last time. "Are you sure-?"

"I'm fine, I just need some time alone."

He shrugged in response, "If you insist..."

...

Notes: "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace. Yes, I know I _just _did one for that band (& this took on a life of it's own rather than follow the song so much .-.), but there's two special reasons why I decided on this song: 1). I needed to wrap up that loose end on what happened to Raven. It felt too cliffy and... I didn't like it XD I really wanted to figure out where I could take it, so I followed-up one stereotypically 'Raven' song with another! And 2). It was the first song in a list that had the word "Help" in the lyrics. _**And that's exactly what I need from you readers: help.**  
_See, I'm having trouble trying to come up with some cover art for this fic. I'm very open to ideas and suggestions, and I'd love it if you guys could lend me a hand on this. Tell me what you think of when you see that title, or when you read these one-shots. What would be a good visual summary of this fic? Keep in mind: I'm far from the world's best artist (my dA page & the covers I've made so far are a testament to that), but I'd love to try out whatever you have to suggest :)

Also, there's this lovely fact that the emoticlones kinda sorta came back on TTG... which is a plus & was hilariously adorable & evil all at once. Idk, I enjoyed it :)

I hope you, dear reader, will consider helping out my cause here, and will continue to help me better myself as a writer. ^-^


	12. Welcome to the Black Parade

Staring at the crowd, Richard felt the first bits of apprehension since first calling that meeting with Raven. It had been a simple discussion at first, about the fact that Cyborg was going to be celebrating his 20th birthday soon. That the Teen Titans were no longer the teens they had been before.

Cyborg offered to leave the team, saying that he wanted to try superheroing on his own for awhile. Starfire and Beast Boy had offered to officially change the team name to simply the Titans.

But Raven was the one to convince them that it was high time that the team disbanded. Citing the reason that she had been bringing them all closer together so she could stop her father, and the fact that as a small fraction of a now-global fighting force, the core team was no longer needed.

And now, in his newest guise as Nightwing, he started to let her words from before sink in.

This was really happening. The Teen Titans were moving on...

Richard was left behind at the curtain as Nightwing made his way across the stage. He stared out at the cheering fans. Stopping at the podium, he glanced at his friends and teammates in the front row.

Cyborg smiled reassuringly, mouthing the words, 'Say Anything'. Changeling- as Beast Boy had decided to adopt a new superhero identity with his newfound maturity- and Starfire were talking to each other, obviously nervous and excited to see what their former leader had to say as a farewell to the people of Jump. And finally Raven was making her way to her seat, after giving a short speech and introduction for her leader. As she finally sat down, she allowed herself a smile, and nodded at her leader to begin.

With resolve behind the mask, he finally did.

"Little over ten years ago, Batman had taken me in as his ward. He trained me, he made me into the hero you see today. Even all throughout my years as leader of this team, he continued to have a deep impact on my life, and he's made me all the better for it.

"I'll never forget this one specific lesson he had drilled into me as a kid, when I was first learning the ropes.

"After we had taken down the Joker together, one of the very first times I had faced off against a threat bigger than I thought I could ever handle, he took me aside. He said to me, 'When you grow up, and as you learn more from these small victories and defeats, you'll begin to understand why we'll always be needed, and why we must continue to fight. And one day, you're going to have to become your own hero, without my help, or anyone else's. Others will be there for you when you need them, but you'll learn to make do without them. You'll be so much stronger than you think you are.'

"I thought I needed those words so much back then. That I wouldn't have thought twice about continuing the path of a hero unless he had reassured me. And as I stand before you, the citizens of Jump City, not as the Boy Wonder you knew before but as my own Dark Knight of Justice, I can't help but be reminded of those words.

"This team has done so much together. Alone, we were just five teens trying to make our way in this world. We had no real goals in mind, only a knowledge that there was evil that needed to be vanquished.

"But together, we became a team. The greatest fighting force you will ever see out of our generation. We expanded to new heights, to the far reaches of the world, and we've conquered it.

"But sadly, it is time for our team to retire. We are no longer the Teen Titans that you've all come to know. It is time we continue down our own paths, and to protect the interests of other cities that need our help. But the Titans will not abandon you.

"A newer, stronger generation of heroes is ready to take our place. And you, the average citizen, is ready to make a difference, should your heroes ever falter. Even if you're not ready to admit it, you are ready for these Titans to leave you, you're ready for a new chapter in Jump City's history.

"The Titans of the past are ready for the next chapter of our lives to begin as well. During our rise and fall, everything the villains have put this team through, whatever the media ever wanted to make of our decisions, we were able to carry on. And today, we're ready to move on.

"And no matter what the world makes us out to be now, whatever happens and whatever they say, we're more than ready for it.

"No matter where we end up... when there's trouble, you'll remember who to call."

With his closing statement, the crowd burst into cheers and the former Teen Titans were called onto the stage, each of them giving the crowd a final wave good-bye.

...

Much later that night, both Nightwing and Robin had long left him, but Richard stood on the rooftop of Titans Tower. There he reflected on the day's events, and on what he was planning for the next few months.

"Moon's looking lovely tonight," came a dry voice from the only entrance to the secluded area.

Nightwing nearly came back, but Richard held him at bay, gripping his mask tighter and stuffing it into his coat pocket. It didn't feel right, seeing as how he really needed to have this final conversation with his former teammate. The crowds need their hero, his teammates need the man behind the mask.

"Then again, this view was always stunning," the voice continued as it's owner made her way from the shadows, "That's one thing I'll miss the most about this place; the views."

"As I recall," Richard said, "that was the thing you liked about the island in the first place, the view of the city."

Raven finally stepped out from the shadows, wearing the same white cloak she had opted for during the closing ceremonies. As the moonlight spilled across her face, she shrugged, unhooding herself.

"That was, what? Four years ago? Maybe almost five?" she raised an eyebrow at him, "We were practically kids then... " She refused to continue her line of thought as she perched lightly on the edge of the roof.

Sitting like that, like a strong stiff wind could simply pick her up and carry her off, didn't worry Richard one bit. He perched right beside her on the ledge.

"Look at us, birds of a feather," he joked. But Raven merely bowed her head.

"And come tomorrow, we'll stop flying together..."

Richard frowned at her revelation. They had discussed this before, hadn't they? That it was best for the whole team if they all split up?

Gar was going to try his own solo hero act, and he had discussed it with Rich that it might even be a good idea to get help from the Doom Patrol when the need arises. But for all intents and purposes, he was going to make it on his own, and make a name for himself.

Vic was going to head out for school and complete his education at the college level. He even started discussing plans to join the Justice League somewhere down the line, if he ever wanted to go back to the hero's life.

Kori wanted to travel the world and put her knowledge to 'the earth's tests'. The whole team knew she'd be fine. She was an alien powerhouse, after all.

Rich made it very clear that he wanted to head back to Gotham, or at least somewhere close by. He wanted to keep an eye on Batman's newest 'replacement' for him, and make sure he didn't end up anything like the first one. It also wasn't easy to simply 'give up' the lifestyle he was used to. So from the shadows, in Gotham's poorest and most desolate neighborhoods, Nightwing could be found as a protector, as a new Dark Knight against the forces of evil.

But Raven, much as she had always been, was mysterious about her plans after the team would disband. She gave only vague answers, and for all they knew about her, she could easily leave their lives as suddenly as she had come in.

"Raven, you made it clear that the college scene wasn't for you, you didn't even hesitate to decline Kori's invitation to see the world with her, and you never gave me or Gar an answer on whether you'd be up for crime fighting with us-"

"You must've been even more nervous than I thought when you gave your speech," she smirked suddenly, cutting off his line of thought and angering him.

It was like she knew something that should have been so obvious to him as well, but there was no way she was going to spoil the moment.

Then again, this man had been trained by the world's greatest detective. And before long, he was racking his brain trying to recall something she must have said during her introduction, something that might've hinted at what she was planning for after the Titans had disbanded.

"So you're staying in the hero biz?" he concluded.

"I wouldn't say it in so many words," she smiled, "but yes. Maybe not as vibrantly as you or Gar, but in my own way, yes."

He nodded in response, finding the answer to their million dollar question.

"We need to carry on, after all. Even after the Teen Titans of old have long since passed. The Titans of today must be ready to take a new stand."

"Okay, hearing you say it now definitely sounds cheesy," he laughed, "Thanks for checking over my speech. And letting me avoid small clichés."

"Oh trust me, I let many a cliché slip past."

"Did you?" he blanched. Suddenly, the way the crowd had reacted seemed almost obligatory in his eyes, but then Richard remembered that it was Nightwing's job to worry over how he was received as a hero, not his.

"Too late to worry over it endlessly now," she sighed, knowing what he was likely to be thinking. "Time to move on from it all anyways."

"Like you said, what? Two years ago? About no ends and new beginnings?" The conversation dropped suddenly as the moon hid itself from their view, shyly slinking beyond their sight with helpful cloud cover.

"... But now's not the time to order more pizza... "

...

Author's Note: My Chemical Romance - "Welcome to the Black Parade"  
Because we never talk about when the Titans are no longer Teens. I already know how the team can make it a mutual break-up (which still made up most of this). But what about the City? How would they react to their favorite team disbanding?  
Here you go.  
Extra note: Cyborg's little 'say anything' moment is supposed to be in reference to the movie from the late 80s. (yes, I love the 80s, sue me.) Not only because this whole thing came out kinda like a valedictorian speech (which is what made me think of the movie), but also because I have this headcanon that the Titans all watched really random movies on a regular basis & would reference them to each other when a situation dictated it. Gotta love headcanons.

Hope you guys enjoyed this, since I've been pretty Dead! this whole time. (pfffft, geddit?) Hope you'll help me out with some awesome feedback, and that you'll enjoy the rest of what this site has to offer (until next time, that is ;D). See ya around! :)


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